Cloth Diapers, Revisited

Have you ever thought about using cloth diapers?
In Madison, the idea is not so unusual.

When you stop to think about it, when you have one child in disposable diapers, it is amazing how many you throw in the garbage every day. Having two in diapers at the same time screams “bad for the environment.” When our son, Henry, was 3 months old and our daughter, Lydia, was 23 months old, we made the switch to cloth. We have been happily using cloth diapers for the last two years with the help of a local diaper service. Mother Nature’s Diaper Service is a locally owned company that delivers clean cotton prefold cloth diapers to our door each week, taking away the dirty ones. I have loved using their service and highly recommend them to anyone thinking about using cloth diapers, but not sure they want the hassle!

Now, if you have never entertained the thought of cloth diapers, you might think the whole idea of using cloth is crazy. Actually, it’s quite easy. In fact, I am willing to say it is only slightly more work, but much for fun. No, really.

After a week, changing a cloth diaper became as easy as changing a disposable diaper. My only real issue was making sure I bought enough covers so I wasn’t always running out between laundry loads.

Generally, when you use a diaper service, you use their prefold cloth diapers (large rectangle piece of cloth), which require a waterproof cover. Mother Nature’s rents and sells Proraps diaper covers, but any other brand will need to be purchased elsewhere. When we started with the service, actual stores with any cloth diaper selection in Madison was quite limited, but I found two websites that I liked, Nicki’s Diapers and Abby’s Lane, and ordered from there. I have tried a few different brands of covers, looking for the perfect one. I wanted a PUL inner layer, which is fabric laminated with a waterproof backing. That way, if the diaper was not soiled, I could simply wipe out the cover and use the same one multiple times before needing to wash it. I tried Proraps (great, sturdy covers- functional, but not “cute”), Bummis Super Brite (better fabric designs, but the PUL didn’t hold up as well as I hoped), and handmade covers from such places as Etsy and Wiggle Worm Bottoms (fun fabric covers, but the ones I tried lacked the trim fit I wanted or didn’t fit right in the legs). My favorite cover was the Thirsties. I love the fit, with gussets, and the selection of colors (like the orange that they call “melon”, but I have nicknamed “bio-hazard orange”), they wash up well and sizing is generous.

But, even though I said I would never attempt washing our own diapers, we are planning on kicking up our “crunchy factor” and doing just that now that we have a newborn to diaper again.

With switching to doing our own washing, I thought this would be a great opportunity to branch out and try different styles of cloth diapers. I went to Nicki’s Diapers, which now has a store in Madison, and picked out a few diapers to try: bumGenius! 3.0 All-in-one (wasn’t crazy about the cloth around the legs- I was afraid of wicking pee or poo out of the diaper), Flip System by bumGenius! (snaps instead of velcro- I knew Chris would hate that, but I love their disposable insert option!), Nicki’s private brand, all-in-two (it’s like Gro Baby Diaper System, where the insert snaps in place, but with a PUL inner- I just decided that it was too many snaps), and Thirsties Pocket AIO (great fit that I was used to, but less absorbency if you don’t stuff the pocket).

After all that, we are back to prefolds in the Thirsties covers. It is the best fit for our newborn, has worked well with my older children and it is an easy system to use.

One load of diaper laundry done, and it’s going well. And if I decide I don’t like washing the diapers on my own, I’ll be calling Mother Nature’s Diaper Service back!

My favorite resources:

Madison Wedding Planner & Guide Bridal Show

It’s that time of year! Lots of engaged couples, with their family and friends, will be coming to the Alliant Energy Center to see all the latest wedding trends, fashions and meet wedding professionals. This weekend is the annual winter bridal show by Wedding Planner & Guide, January 16th (10am to 5pm) and 17th (11am to 4:30pm). The fashion show is at noon and 3pm on both days. Saturday attendees- Don’t forget to get your wristband to come back on Sunday for free! Check out the Wedding Planner & Guide website for ticket information.

We are excited to be in a new location, booth #205, near the main entrance. Please stop by and say “hi”. We love reconnecting with past brides and grooms, catching up with current couples and getting to meet new people.

The Grand Prize is a New Car!

Appleby Photography is participating in the International Charity Event to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation.

Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? We’ll give you the opportunity to prove it! Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives a new car!

Cutest Family Special:
$75 entrance fee includes a 30-minute session and one image submitted to the national gallery. Sessions must take place between November 1, 2009 and April 1, 2010. This is a perfect time for Easter portraits, too! Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Voting closes April 8, 2010.

Call 608-280-8845 now to enter your family in this exciting contest.

Merry Christmas!


Here is a peek at the front of our holiday card this year. We love to include a family or children portrait. This year it was just the kids: Madalyn (9 years old), Lydia (3 years old), Henry (2 years old) and Leo (1 week at the time of photo). I am so glad to have them done and in the mail! And it’s still 3 days until Christmas!

A Photographer’s Son and Birth Announcements


You would think that the son of a photographer would just be born knowing how to pose for photographs. You would be wrong, of course.


Leo’s first session at the studio was quite an event. He needed to stop his modeling to eat twice, he pooped and peed through six diapers, pooped on his sleeper (and new-again mom here totally forgot to pack an extra one in the diaper bag!), peed on me and refused to sleep long enough to be sat down. The only thing I wanted were adorable photographs of my new son, and Leo made us work for them.

In the end, we had two images that we loved so much that we had such a hard time deciding which to use for the birth announcements. These were the two that we loved. After much staring and debating, we went with the right one. I am so happy to finally have the announcements done and in the mail!

It’s a Boy!

As many of you know, we added a new little one to our family this year. On December 2nd, we welcomed a baby boy! Leo Harrison weighed in at 8 pounds and was 20 inches long. We are all doing well and are very excited to show him off.

Black Friday Sale

At Appleby Photography, we would like to add to the holiday frenzy by having a Black Friday sale. We are excited to help you with your holiday shopping by offering you great savings!

On November 27th and 28th, all $25 gift certificates are on sale for only $20.
That is a 20% savings on EVERYTHING!

It is the perfect gift that will always fit, is unique and personal, and will be remembered always- the gift of portraits!

Sales can be made by phone or e-mail. We will have limited studio hours for those that would like to make purchases in person. Please call for studio hours during these two sale days. All orders made by phone or e-mail will be shipped for no charge.

Can not be used on past purchases, nor exchanged for cash. Limit 20 cards per person.

North America’s Cutest Family


Appleby Photography is participating in the International Charity Event to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation.

Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? We’ll give you the opportunity to prove it! Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives a new car!

Cutest Family Special:
$75 entrance fee includes a 30-minute mini session and one image submitted to the national gallery. ***Bonus*** Book your 2010 session, January through March, now and pay only $29 entrance fee and receive a $25 print credit to use on your order! Sessions must be booked by Nov. 30th to qualify.

Sessions must take place between November 1, 2009 and April 1, 2010. This is a perfect time for Easter portraits, too! Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. Voting closes April 8, 2010.

Grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts. The winning family also receives a session with the renowned portrait artist Sandy Puc’ and international recognition.

Call 608-280-8845 now to enter your family in this exciting contest.

*Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.

HOLIDAY IDEAS: We Sell Pettiskirts, Photo Jewelry, Purses and Bags

We sell Belle Ame pettiskirts! These are the adorable fluffy, fluffy skirts that little girls LOVE! We also offer matching tees and tanks, as well as bloomers and dresses. The bloomers (ruffled shorts) are super cute for toddlers! These are custom-made with super-soft chiffon in fun colors. Please feel free to e-mail for photos and pricing. belleamepettiskirts also offers more info.

For the grown-ups, we offer fun photo purses, bags and jewelry. These all make great holiday gifts, but remember they are custom, so order early!

Important Dates:

We have a lot going on in the next few months. We want to take a moment to remind you of important dates and events so they won’t sneak up on you. The sooner you schedule your sessions and appointments, the better!

September/October– peak times for outdoor family sessions with fall leaves

October 10– Last chance to order most Wedding albums with arrival times before the holidays (some album styles will need to wait until January)
November 1- April 1 America’s Cutest Family international contest
November 8
– Last day for all 2009 sessions (except Baby Plan families- call if you have questions or think you will be affected)
November 18– Last day for ordering Portrait and Wedding portraits to guarantee delivery for the holidays
December 1– Last day for Holiday Cards-only orders to guarantee delivery before the holidays
Early December– Arrival of our new baby, limited hours and availability throughout the month- E-mail will work best at this time.
January 16 & 17Wedding Planner & Guide Bridal Show– stop by our booth to see us that weekend!
Winter 2010– Introducing special program for all past wedding clients– more info will be coming!